The Engineering News Record (ENR) Global Best Project Award program has awarded the Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD) Cosmo City Schoolhouse South Africa project as the Best Project of 2013 in the education and research category. Cosmo City is Gauteng Provincial Government project of a mixed income housing development with RDP, Credit linked, social and bonded housing, North of Johannesburg.
Schoolhouse South Africa is a partnership between CUSD and Education Africa, a non-profit organisation that seeks to provide education infrastructure to disadvantaged and developing communities throughout South Africa. CUSD constructed a 6,000 square foot early childhood development centre at Cosmo City.
The Cosmo City Schoolhouse Early Childhood Development Centre is the only student project to be honoured and competed against 66 international projects from all over the world.
The Global Best Project Award judges examined the safety, innovation and major challenges, and a special emphasis on how globally diverse the team was with a focus on projects that contend with the risks, challenges, and rewards of designing and constructing in foreign regions.
Human Settlements MEC Ntombi Mekgwe has congratulated the project leaders for winning this international award. “It is inspiring to see a student led project winning a prestigious award like this one. This is an indication that the future is indeed in good hands. The fact that the project won out of over 66 professional engineering and architecture projects is overwhelmingly exciting,” said Mekgwe.
Mekgwe said this is the kind of partnerships that will take the country to greater heights. “We have always reiterated that alone as government we cannot do it. We are always ready to work with people who come up with innovative ideas that will develop communities,” said Mekgwe.
Mekgwe said this school project has completely changed the livelihood of young kids in the community. “Early childhood development centres are important for our young kids so that they are developed when they are still young. We need to develop kids when they are still young so that they can be successful at school,” said Mekgwe. Mekgwe thanked all those who contributed in this innovative project for making it possible.
For more information contact:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
